Disney's Effort To Draw Male Audience Wins Over Girls

By Ryan Nakashima; Source: Associated Press

In this undated promotional photo released by Disney, actors Adam hicks, left, and Hutch Dano are shown in a scene from "Zeke and Luther." Disney recently revamped its Toon Disney network with an array of programs to cater to tween boys, a largely untapped demographic for them, and rebranded the channel Disney XD. (AP Photo/Disney XD, Jaimie Trueblood)

BURBANK, Calif. -- A funny thing happened on the way to remaking the Toon Disney channel into one that catered to "tween" boys: It got a lot more popular with girls.

Perhaps it's because teenagers Hutch Dano and Adam Hicks, the stars of the channel's most popular new show, "Zeke and Luther," exude a goofy innocence in a scrubbed-clean environment.

Whatever the reason, the slightly off-kilter rebranding effort at the channel now called Disney XD highlights a larger problem at The Walt Disney Co.: It has had difficulty winning over young male audiences.

Disney recently announced part of the solution, agreeing to buy comic book giant Marvel Entertainment Inc. for $4 billion, bringing characters like Iron Man and Spider-Man into the house of Hannah Montana, Cinderella and Pocahontas.

A closer look at Disney's ongoing efforts with the XD channel - where prime-time ratings this summer nearly doubled among boys aged 9 to 14 but tripled among girls the same age - helps explain why the company wanted Marvel's outside firepower in its quest for boy-focused content.

While there's no harm in attracting more girls to the channel, Disney also wants to draw more advertising for boy-focused products like video games and action figure toys.

That might have taken years on its own. Now Marvel is expected to bring more superhero power to Disney XD, adding to the 20 hours per week that Marvel content already runs on the network.

But going after a more male audience is a tough slog. Boys are fickle. They demand authenticity and appreciate a snarky sense of humor, while at other times, they just want to immerse themselves in fantasy worlds and animation.

Rich Ross, president of Disney Channels Worldwide, said the goal of rebranding Toon Disney as Disney XD was always "to create this destination for boys that is still inclusive of girls."

And the shift has already helped bring in some new ads.

Electronic Arts Inc. boosted its advertising spending about 30 percent this year on Disney XD after its switch, mainly to advertise kid-friendly video games such as "MySims Racing" and "Madden NFL 10."

One big challenge for Disney is that the boys market is well served.

More 'Star Wars'

Time Warner Inc.'s Cartoon Network, whose audience is more than 70 percent boys, plans to roll out the second season of George Lucas' popular "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" series this fall.

Cartoon Network is also branching into live-action and reality TV shows that leave little doubt about their target audience. "Dude, What Would Happen" features a group of teenage boys who try stunts like installing a lemonade tank into the hood of a car. "My Dad's a Pro" follows the Boston Celtics' Eddie House through the eyes of his 8-year-old son, Jaelen.

Ron Geraci, a senior vice president of research for the Nickelodeon kids and family group, questioned Disney's focus on boys.

Nickelodeon's tween audience draws almost equally between boys and girls on such shows as "SpongeBob Squarepants," "iCarly," and "Penguins of Madagascar."

"One of the fallacies in the kids marketplace has been that you can't program to both boys and girls," Geraci said. "We think the commonality among boys and girls is comedy and we've proved it time and again."

Small Firms, Like Disney, Can Sell to Tweens

By Elizabeth Blackwell; Source: TheStreet

No longer children but not yet teenagers, "tweens" are now considered a powerful consumer demographic in their own right. Between the ages of 8 to 12, kids begin to develop into independent consumers: spending their own allowance money and showing specific brand preferences when shopping with Mom or Dad.

Walt Disney(DIS Quote) has been especially successful appealing to tween girls. The company helped launch the careers of actress Miley Cyrus and pop stars the Jonas Brothers, turning them into international brands available on everything from backpacks to snacks.

But Burbank, Calif.-based Disney hasn't had a comparable hit with tween boys, which might help explain this week's announcement that it will buy Marvel Entertainment(MVL Quote), home of iconic male-oriented characters such as Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk. The Disney marketing machine has convinced tween girls to spend millions on merchandise from Cyrus's show, Hannah Montana; it can probably spin superheroes into a massive new revenue stream.

But there's no reason small companies can't get into the boy business, too. Tween boys have been somewhat overlooked compared to girls. Companies that understand how to appeal to their interests have the advantage of relatively few competitors.

According to youth marketing company Alloy Media + Marketing, tweens spend $51 billion each year, with their families kicking in an additional $170 billion.

To get in on that market, you must understand how tween boys think, says Adriann Fonstein, consumer strategist for AMP Agency, a unit of Alloy. "For them, life is about play. They like silly, physical humor. You have to make them feel like they're in on the joke."

Retailers Banking on Star Power to Sell Styles

By BETSY TAYLOR; Associated Press

MAPLEWOOD, Mo. — Summer Johnson’s back-to-school wardrobe includes shiny wet-looking leggings, a tie-dye camisole and basic tees — all part of a new collection by Miley Cyrus and designer Max Azria at Wal-Mart.

Stores are hoping a touch of star quality will inspire back-to-school shoppers — and their parents — to look beyond basics and seek out clothing lines with ties to celebrity actors and singers, from clean-cut Disney shows to the racier Gossip Girl.

Johnson, a 22-year-old college student from suburban St. Louis, was drawn to the Cyrus collection’s rock-star edge and under $20 prices, but the star power didn’t hurt.

“Celebrities are great, but I go toward a celebrity line because they’re reading up on fashion, teaming up with a good designer,” she said. “They know a thing or two about fashion. They’re our fashion template.”

And the templates abound. A “JONAS” line, inspired by the television show featuring the Jonas Brothers, mixes prep school styles with a rocker twist. A second Disney line based on the show Wizards of Waverly Place is being billed as a “boho chic” collection including tunic-length tops with print scarves and miniskirts that draw inspiration from the show’s Alex Russo character, who happens to be played by Selena Gomez, the newly named Teen Choice red-carpet fashion icon. They’re selling at JC Penney, Kmart, Sears, Wal-Mart and Target.

Star power alone won’t sustain a successful clothing line.

“I’ve seen the peaks and valleys of it,” said Tina Knowles, the mother of singer and actress Beyoncé. Tina Knowles serves as creative director for Dereon, a clothing line that draws from her famous daughter’s style. “The celebrity being attached is a plus, but the clothes have to be good quality,” she said.

Customers respond to Beyoncé, but they come back when they like the fit, style and value, Knowles said.

This fall, the Dereon line includes a Sasha Fierce collection with some back-to-school looks inspired by Beyoncé’s tougher, alter-ego character.

Not all of it screams classroom, but pieces that would make a splash at school include skinny jeans, a houndstooth-print jacket and a lightweight leather jacket that Knowles calls one of her favorites. Sasha Fierce items sell for $25 to $125, and are currently available at some specialty retailers and about 100 Macy’s stores.

Another line that’s new for back-to-school is “Mad Style for True Jackson,” designed by Jane Siskin, perhaps best known for her work on 7 for All Mankind’s famously fitting jeans. The “Mad Style” clothes at Wal-Mart draw from Nickelodeon’s popular tween show, True Jackson, VP, which stars young actress Keke Palmer, whose character lands a dream job as a vice president at a fashion company.

“The thing that excited me was to bring fashion to a tween customer in a collection and in a way that’s already styled,” Siskin said. A gray V-neck dress, for instance, includes a built-in plaid shirt underneath and a black-patent belt with silver charms hanging from it for $12.

Palmer, the tween star of True Jackson, says she’s thrilled about the line. “Wow, words cannot express how exciting it is to know that little girls will be wearing clothes that originated from the show, amazing!” she said by e-mail.

Celebrity clothing lines don’t capture all shoppers’ interest in the same way.

With clothes selling, in some cases, for just a few dollars, industry watchers say it’s safe to say a lot of celebrity lines were manufactured to catch a right-now trend and not intended to last forever.

And if people don’t like a star, they’re probably not going to like the clothes.

An older back-to-school shopper like Johnson says she gets interested based on a designer’s reputation — she knew of Azria, for instance, from his stylish BCBG clothes. She’s not a huge Cyrus fan, but assumes she’ll get trendy looks at good prices when a star works with a designer and a mass retailer.

A high schooler might follow a celebrity’s look in magazines and on the Internet and then shop for a similar style. And young tweens respond to a show, its storyline and its fictional characters, not so much the real-life performers.

“As long as the shows are relevant, the products are relevant,” said Disney Consumer Products’ vice president for global fashion and home, Pamela Lifford.

Target plans to unveil a line by designer Anna Sui inspired by the Gossip Girl television show from Sept. 13-Oct. 17 in more than 600 stores. And in October, Nordstrom will offer Twilight: New Moon-inspired apparel.

Disney in Deal For Gamers

BOB IGER Disney boss.

By PETER LAURIA; Source: NY Post

Disney is in a buying mood.

Less than a week after stunning the entertainment industry with its $4 billion deal to buy Marvel Comics, the Mouse house yesterday said it agreed to buy edgy videogame developer Wideload Games.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

As part of the deal, Wideload Games founder and CEO Alexander Seropian will join Disney's Interactive Studios unit in the newly created role of vice president of creative.

Seropian is considered a videogame visionary, who helped create the successful "Halo" franchise for Microsoft's Xbox after selling his former company, Bungie Software, to the software giant in 2000.

With the two purchases, Disney is attempting to make inroads into what has been an elusive demographic: 'tween males. Though it has a hold on 'tween girls with Miley Cyrus, The Jonas Brothers and other properties, appealing to boys has been a bigger challenge for the company.

The purchases underscore Disney's perception that videogames are the way to bring young men back into the fold.

Indeed, the Marvel deal was done not just because of the movie potential of comic book characters like Spider-Man and Iron-Man, but also because of the videogame franchises that can be developed.

In buying Wideload Games, Disney is betting that Seropian -- like a successful movie producer -- can develop another hit on the order of "Halo."

Wideload's Games include "Stubbs the Zombie," in which gamers take the role of a "rebel without a pulse," "Hail to the Chimp" and "Texas Cheat' Em."

Comic Explosion: Disney Buys Marvel Entertainment

by Wayne Friedman, Source: Media Post

Making a dramatic move to broaden its products/characters for more of an older boy/teen audience, Walt Disney has agreed to acquire Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion in stock and cash.

Marvel is the home of such high-profile, major comic-book characters as Iron Man, Spider-Man, X-Men, Captain America and Fantastic Four. Disney will acquire Marvel Entertainment, taking control of more than 5,000 Marvel characters. The deal gives Marvel shareholders $30 a share in cash plus about three-quarters in Disney shares for each Marvel share they own.

This would be Disney's boldest and biggest move since buying up Pixar Animation Studios in 2006 for $7.4 billion. The computer animation company has had an unprecedented string of theatrical hits -- all of which has helped Disney expand to a broad range of audiences.

Pixar shifted Disney's emphasis, which traditionally relied on many animated and other entertainment properties catering to young girls/ teen girls. For example, Pixar's "Cars," the movie franchise, was a major hit for young boys.

The Marvel deal goes much further. Marvel's characters -- especially Iron Man, Spider-Man and X-Men -- have been major box-office theatrical sellers, giving Disney the audiences it has been seeking for some time.

"Now, Disney has properties to appeal for kids as they get older," says Gareb Shamus, CEO of Wizard Entertainment, which owns Wizard magazine.

On the television front, for example, TV analysts say Disney Channel has been highly successful with the "High School Musical" and "Hannah Montana" franchises, especially in targeting young girls/teen girls. Only recently has Disney moved to push more into boys/teen properties with its Jetix-brand programming, which runs on Toon Disney channel. Marvel brands could find their way to these platforms.

Good news for Disney is that Marvel has been successful in creating younger, more-friendly, more Disney-like characters for Iron Man and Spider-Man, says Shamus. Disney is already a powerhouse when it comes to licensing and merchandising. Having more powerful boy properties only adds to Disney's strength, he says.

Shamus adds that Disney has been successful in leveraging its toy licensees to help market its brands -- especially with its major Mattel toy licensee. Hasbro has been Marvel Entertainment's key toy licensee for its products. "Now they are going to get Hasbro leverage," he says.

Because of Marvel properties' attraction for young boys/men, Shamus says more marketing possibilities could occur with ESPN sports TV shows, for example, which also target young men.

Disney Channel Ranks as Friday’s No. 1 TV Network in Target Kids

via Disney Press Release:

Quick Take for Friday, August 7, 2009 – National Live + Same Day Ratings

Boasting All New Episodes of Hit Series “Wizards of Waverly Place,”
“The Suite Life on Deck” and “Phineas and Ferb,” Disney Channel
Ranks as Friday’s No. 1 TV Network in Target Kids

Owning 3 of Friday’s Top 4 Cable Telecasts, Disney Channel is
TV’s No. 1 Network from 8:00 – 9:30 P.M. in Total Viewers,
and Friday’s No. 1 Cable Network Overall

“Wizard of Waverly Place” and “The Suite Life on Deck” Are TVs Top 2 Shows in Target Kids, with the Net Home to Friday’s Top 10, and 19 of the Top 20

Growing its Audience for the 5th Straight Week and Posting Series Highs in Viewers and Kids 6-11, “Phineas and Ferb” is Friday’s No. 1 Animated TV Show

Friday, August 7, 2009

Featuring all-new episodes of “Wizards of Waverly Place,” “The Suite Life on Deck” and “Phineas and Ferb” from 8:00 – 9:30 p.m., Disney Channel ranked as TV’s No. 1 network in the time period in Total Viewers (4.7 million), Kids 6-11 (2.1 million/8.7 rating) and Tweens 9-14 (1.8 million/7.5 rating). In fact, Friday’s win marked Disney Channel’s 4th straight week as cable’s No. 1 network in Total Viewers in the time period, and 2nd time in 4 weeks the net clinched TV’s No. 1 spot.

On a Total Day basis, boasting TV’s Top 10 TV telecasts in key kids, and 19 of the Top 20 overall, Disney Channel qualified as TV’s No. 1 network in Kids 6-11 (932,000/3.8 rating) and Tweens 9-14 (779,000/3.2 rating). In Total Viewers (2.2 million), home to 3 of Friday’s Top 4 telecasts, Disney Channel was cable’s No. 1 network for the entire day.

“Wizard of Waverly Place” (8:00 – 8:30 p.m.)

Friday’s part 3 of “Wizards of Waverly Place’s” 4-episode saga “Wizards & Vampires” was TV’s No. 1 telecast in Tweens 9-14 (2.1 million/8.5 rating) and No. 2 in Kids 6-11 (2.1 million/8.7 rating). In Total Viewers, Friday’s outing stood as cable’s No. 2 telecast, falling just shy of USA’s highly promoted final season premiere of “Monk” (5.0 million vs. 5.1 million).

• TV’s dominant No. 1 program at 8 o’clock, “Wizards of Waverly Place” towered over second-place CBS by nearly 1 million viewers, or by 22% (5.0 million vs. 4.1 million). In kid measures, “Wizards” held a triple-digit percent advantage over No. 2 Nickelodeon in Kids 6-11 (196% – 2.1 million vs. 709,000) and Tweens 9-14 (359% – 2.1 million vs. 376,000).

“The Suite Life on Deck” (8:30 – 9:00 p.m.)

Friday’s original “The Suite Life on Deck” was TV’s No 1 telecast on Friday in Kids 6-11 (2.3 million/9.4 rating), and No. 2 telecast in Tweens 9-14 (2.0 million/8.2 rating), marking the show’s best outing since its premiere weekend in late-September 08. In Total Viewers (4.9 million), Friday’s outing also hit best-since-premiere levels, ranking No. 3 among the day’s cable telecasts.

• At 8:30 p.m., “The Suite Life on Deck” crushed all TV competition in the half hour, ranking No. 1 in Total Viewers (4.9 million), Kids 6-11 (2.3 million/9.4 rating) and Tweens 9-14 (2.0 million/8.2 rating).

o In target kids, Disney Channel more than tripled second-place Nickelodeon in the time period in Kids 6-11 (2.3 million vs. 647,000) and delivered more than six times the number of Tween 9-14 viewers (2.0 million vs. 323,000).

• Week to week, “The Suite Life on Deck” nearly doubled its delivery in Total Viewers (4.9 million vs. 2.6 million) and Kids 6-11 (2.3 million vs. 1.2 million), and more than doubled in Tweens 9-14 (2.0 million vs. 972,000).

“Phineas and Ferb” (9:00 – 9:30 p.m.)

Friday’s No. 1 animated TV telecast in Total Viewers and target kids, “Phineas and Ferb” grew its audience for the 5th consecutive week, ranking as the series’ most-watched telecast on record in Total Viewers (4.1 million) and Kids 6-11 (2.0 million – tied series premiere), and 3rd-most-watched episode ever in Tweens 9-14 (1.4 million).

• At 9 o’clock, “Phineas and Ferb” was easily TV’s No. 1 program with kids, nearly tripling runner up Nickelodeon in Kids 6-11 (2.0 million vs. 702,000) and Tweens 9-14 (1.4 million vs. 471,000). In Total Viewers, “Phineas and Ferb” was TV’s No. 1 animated show in the half hour, and cable’s No. 2 program.

(Source: Nielsen Media Research (8/7/09, Live + Same Day U.S. Ratings).

Stores Launch Celebrity-Inspired Back-To-School Clothes In Bid To Boost Sales

This photo released by Walmart shows Max Azria, left and Miley Cyrus. The two have a line of clothes available exclusively at Walmart and includes tops, pants, graphic tees, shoes and accessories, all priced less than $20.THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Walmart

By Betsy Taylor; Source: Canadian Press

MAPLEWOOD, Mo. — Summer Johnson's back-to-school wardrobe includes shiny wet-looking leggings, a tie-dye camisole and basic tees - all part of a new collection by Miley Cyrus and designer Max Azria at Wal-Mart.

Stores are hoping a touch of star quality will inspire back-to-school shoppers - and their parents - to look beyond basics and seek out clothing lines with ties to celebrity actors and singers, from clean-cut Disney shows to the racier "Gossip Girl."

Johnson, a 22-year-old college student from suburban St. Louis, was drawn to the Cyrus collection's rock-star edge and under-$20 prices, but the star power didn't hurt.

"Celebrities are great, but I go toward a celebrity line because they're reading up on fashion, teaming up with a good designer," she said. "They know a thing or two about fashion. They're our fashion template."

And the templates abound. A "Jonas" line, inspired by the television show featuring the Jonas Brothers, mixes prep school styles with a rocker twist. A second Disney line based on the show "Wizards of Waverly Place" is being billed as a "boho chic" collection including tunic-length tops with print scarves and miniskirts that draw inspiration from the show's Alex Russo character, who happens to be played by Selena Gomez, the newly named Teen Choice red-carpet fashion icon. They're selling at J.C. Penney, Kmart, Sears, Wal-Mart and Target.

Star power alone won't sustain a successful clothing line.

"I've seen the peaks and valleys of it," said Tina Knowles, the mother of singer and actress Beyonce. Tina Knowles serves as creative director for Dereon, a clothing line that draws from her famous daughter's style. "The celebrity being attached is a plus, but the clothes have to be good quality," she said.

Customers respond to Beyonce, but they come back when they like the fit, style and value, Knowles said.

This fall, the Dereon line includes a Sasha Fierce collection with some back-to-school looks inspired by Beyonce's tougher, alter-ego character.

Not all of it screams classroom, but pieces that would make a splash at school include skinny jeans, a houndstooth-print jacket and a lightweight leather jacket that Knowles calls one of her favourites. Sasha Fierce items sell for $25 to $125, and are currently available at some specialty retailers and about 100 Macy's Inc. stores.

Another line that's new for back-to-school is "Mad Style for True Jackson," designed by Jane Siskin, perhaps best known for her work on 7 for All Mankind's famously fitting jeans. The "Mad Style" clothes at Wal-Mart draw from Nickelodeon's popular tween show, "True Jackson, VP," which stars young actress Keke Palmer, whose character lands a dream job as a vice-president at a fashion company.

"The thing that excited me was to bring fashion to a tween customer in a collection and in a way that's already styled," Siskin said. A grey V-neck dress, for instance, includes a built-in plaid shirt underneath and a black-patent belt with silver charms hanging from it for $12.

Palmer, the tween star of True Jackson, says she's thrilled about the line. "Wow, words cannot express how exciting it is to know that little girls will be wearing clothes that originated from the show, amazing!" she said by email.

Celebrity clothing lines don't capture all shoppers' interest in the same way.

With clothes selling, in some cases, for just a few dollars, industry watchers say it's safe to say a lot of celebrity lines were manufactured to catch a right-now trend and not intended to last forever.

And if people don't like a star, they're probably not going to like the clothes.

An older back-to-school shopper like Johnson says she gets interested based on a designer's reputation - she knew of Azria, for instance, from his stylish BCBG clothes. She's not a huge Cyrus fan, but assumes she'll get trendy looks at good prices when a star works with a designer and a mass retailer.

A high schooler might follow a celebrity's look in magazines and on the Internet and then shop for a similar style. And young tweens respond to a show, its storyline and its fictional characters, not so much the real-life performers.

"As long as the shows are relevant, the products are relevant," said Disney Consumer Products' vice-president for global fashion and home, Pamela Lifford. She said Hannah Montana clothes, from the popular series starring Cyrus, continue to "go strong."

And back-to-school shoppers waiting for the next big thing need only wait, oh, a couple of weeks.

Target is unveiling a line by designer Anna Sui inspired by the "Gossip Girl" television show from Sept. 13-Oct. 17 in more than 600 stores. And in October, Nordstrom will offer "Twilight: New Moon"-inspired apparel.

Like anything that's tied to what's hot at the moment, it's hard to predict the staying power of clothing lines with celebrity ties. Earlier this year, Jennifer Lopez's contemporary "Sweetface" line went on hiatus, though there was talk of a later relaunch. A phone call to "Sweetface" was not returned.

Tween Musical Group Uses Shuttered Howell High School (in Michigan) As Set For New TV Show 'Wannabes'

by Jessica Nunez; Source: MLive

A television show for tweens, created by the writers and directors of numerous Disney Channel shows including "Suite Life of Zack and Cody" and "That's So Raven," has chosen to film its entire series of episodes in Michigan.

"Wannabes," which stars the Texas-based musical group Savvy, is about five high school freshman living in a fictional Michigan town who want to become hip-hop stars, but instead attend a stuffy arts school that only teaches things like classical ballet and instrumental music.

The majority of the filming will take place at the closed Parker Campus of Howell High School, which was built in 2003 but was closed after just one year because the Howell Public School District couldn't afford to operate two high schools.

Parker was also the main filming location for the movie "High School" last year.

According to the Livingston Daily, filming begins at the high school on Monday. The show will also film in locations in Detroit, Lansing and West Michigan.

Jeff Spilman, a representative of Ferndale-based production company S3 Entertainment Group, told the Livingston Daily that "Wannabes" has hired about 95 percent Michigan workers in the wardrobe and props departments, as well as electricians, construction and other jobs.

They hired 60 extras for the first eight episodes and will hire more if they get the go-ahead to film a planned 18 more.

To watch the trailer and apply to view the pilot episode, go to thewannabes.tv.

Showcase Entertainment (video still)
McBride and Carroll in a scene from the TV show 'Wannabes.'

Mouse Ears All Over the Chart

Compiled by Dave Itzkoff (NY Times)

Teenage and tween-age listeners had plenty to squeal about this week as Demi Lovato, above right, and other Disney-spawned acts were widely represented on the Billboard album sales chart. Ms. Lovato, the 16-year-old Disney star, opened at No. 1 with her second album, “Here We Go Again,” which sold 108,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. (The week’s best-selling album was Michael Jackson’s “Number Ones,” which sold 154,000 copies but is considered a catalog album and isn’t tracked on the Billboard 200 chart.) Farther down that chart, Ms. Lovato’s Disney colleague Miley Cyrus was No. 5 with the “Hannah Montana 3” soundtrack (54,000 copies); the “Hannah Montana” movie soundtrack and the Jonas Brothers’ “Lines, Vines and Trying Times” also placed in the Top 20. The Top 5 was rounded out by Daughtry’s “Leave This Town” (RCA) at No. 2; Maxwell’s “BLACKsummers’night” (Columbia) at No. 3; and the 31st installment of the “Now That’s What I Call Music” compilation at No. 4. Jordin Sparks, the 2007 “American Idol” winner, was No. 7 with her second album, “Battlefield” (Jive).

More Demi Lovato!? Now She Wants To Direct!

By Marc Cuenco (Examiner)
Photo: AP (Daniel Steinberg)

Demi Lovato, who currently has the number one album in the U.S., dreams of working behind the camera someday.

“I don’t see myself doing television, but I do see myself directing," Lovato tells The Times. The pop star just released her second album Here We Go Again and has a hit series on the Disney Channel Sonny With A Chance.

Next up for Lovato is Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, the highly-anticipated sequel to the 2008 TV film that launched the talented teen's career. Lovato's look and sound has changed since then. But even though she's got a little more edge, Lovato's but staying true to her pop/rock roots.

“Sometimes I hear people say, ‘She’s totally changed’,” Lovato adds. “And it’s like, uh, if you are a 16-year-old girl and you don’t change, then there’s something wrong with you.”

JoBro Gossip! Tween Fans Rejoice as Joe Jonas Tears Up Over Split With Camilla Belle

BY Cristina Everett (Source: NY Daily News)

You can hear the squealing already. Joe Jonas is officially back on the market.

The 19-year-old singer and actress Camilla Belle have called it quits, JustJared.com reports.

“Yes, it’s true,” Belle’s rep said. “[Joe and Camilla] have broken up. There is no third party involved, and they care deeply about each other and will remain friends.”

Despite the many fans watching him on stage, the singer teared up during two of his songs at Sunday night’s Jonas Brothers concert in Detroit.

Teenage heartache must for hard for Jonas, because he took the liberty of changing the lyrics of two of his band’s hits during the show.

According to PerezHilton.com, when the singer sang the song “Much Better,” the words were changed from “Now I see everything I’d ever need is the girl in front of me” to “girls in front of me,” suggesting he is moving on from Belle.

Jonas first met Belle, 22, last year on the set of the Jonas Brothers music video “Lovebug.”

Their romance created an uproar among his tween fans because Jonas broke up with singer Taylor Swift soon after meeting Belle.

Friday Tween Gossip! Even Disney's magic can't protect its teen lovers from heartbreak

By Marina Hyde (The Guardian)

If you're easily devastated, do look away now. Our business this week is with the internecine struggles at the House of Mouse.

Remember when Disney stars had names like Donald and Daisy, and the worst thing that could happen to them was three mischievous nephews coming to stay? Those days are long gone. Today's Hannah Montanas and Jonases must negotiate altogether more complex perils, such as prescription painkillers, the leaking of wet T-shirt cameraphone photos, and deciding what technically constitutes virginity.

In seeking a significant other, then, it is no surprise that many of these gilded teens turn to fellow indentured players in Uncle Walt's repertory company. I believe the never under- rehearsed interview line is, "We're just taking things really slowly, but it's great to be able to share a chaperoned milkshake with someone who can relate to all the craziness."

Frankly, Disney prefers its craziness to be relatable. It works better that way. If High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens had been chastely betrothed to her co-star and current boyfriend Zac Efron since she was 11, there wouldn't have been a sleazebag ex-boyfriend to leak her nude photos to the gazillion-strong armies of perverts that stalk the internet. And the corporation wouldn't have had to issue a creepy public rebuke to their teenage star. "Vanessa has apologised for what was obviously a lapse in judgment," this ran. "We hope she's learned a valuable lesson."

Much better to date a co-worker, thereby knitting yourself into a Disney heritage that includes the erstwhile union between fellow Mouseketeers Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears. Unfortunately, sometimes even Mouse-endorsed love turns sour, and the Magic Kingdom echoes to the sound of anguished OMGs and WTFreaks.

This week, just such a romantic sundering seems to have occurred between Trace Cyrus, brother of Hannah Montana star Miley, and Demi Lovato, another Disney star with a TV show and recording deal. Should you care to know more about them, Trace is in a band with the brother of a Hannah Montana cast member (when are this lot going to get their own dedicated volume of Rock Family Trees?), and is soon to open for Miley on her world tour, despite appearing to violate several of Disney's body art statutes.

Right now, Demi is the Salieri to Miley's Mozart, but if Miley's controverisal semi-nude Vanity Fair shoot last year showed us anything, it is that child marketing prodigies oxidise heartbreakingly quickly. As Gina Gershon remarks in the Lost in Showbiz movie classic that is Showgirls: "There's always someone younger and hungrier coming down the stairs after you."

Anyway, back to our star-cross'd lovers, Trace and Demi. We lay our scene in fair Los Angeles, where our tale is of two households if not alike in dignity, then certainly as undignified as the other. Needless to say, the fallout from the break-up is taking place on Twitter.

"I know there's such thing as a Mr Right," tweets Demi. "But can there be such thing as a Mr Not Right Now . . . ?" Alas, it is not long before she is musing "Ur So Gay, Katy Perry – such a well written, relatable song. ;) HaHaHaHa."

"Another storybook ending," declares Trace sarcastically, before posting a picture of the girlfriend before Demi.

"I'm sorry, was that supposed to hurt?" responds Demi. "Hmm. Oh well."

Yes, think of it as Dangerous Liaisons for heavily sexualised, abstinence-ring-wearing teens. After all, Twitter is basically the epistolary novel for the ADD generation. How you allot parts is up to you, although I'm afraid the Glenn Close/Marquise de Merteuil role must go to Miley and Trace's mom, Tish, who wades right on in with a mother-loving salvo.

"It really makes me sad that most people find it so easy to hurt other people," tweets Mommytish, whose bio reads, "I love cupcakes, butterflies, my beautiful kids, my gorgeous husband and of course JESUS." "Why is that?" she continues menacingy of the love split. "I never want to hurt anyone . . . EVER."

Enter Miley. "We can't control the path of their wicked hearts mama," she tweets back somewhat unsettlingly. "All we can do is shine a light & guide their way back home. Smile mommy."

"I wish I was the one hurting," Tish tells her son – and his 186,000-odd followers. "I wish I could switch places with you right now, because I would. You love so deeply, you deserve that back . . ."

I love the sound of Old Mother Cyrus, don't you? (Free life rule for you, kids: never go out with one of those boys or girls who says "My mother's my best friend". They have all kinds of things wrong with them – and don't even start Lost in Showbiz on the mothers.)

Thus far, the silence of formerly be-mulleted paterfamilias Billy Ray is deafening. But if he painstakingly divides his line-dance classic Achy Breaky Heart into 140-character instalments, then your week will be complete.

Miley Cyrus Grows Wings With Disney Film

Anne Lu - Celebrity News Service News Writer
(All Headline News)

Los Angeles - Disney princess Miley Cyrus is starring in another film production from the mouse house. The tween queen is tapped to star in the film adaptation of the young adult novel "Wings."

According to Variety, Disney has acquired the screen rights to the project and is developing the film as a star vehicle for Cyrus.

The story centers on a 15-year-old Laurel who grows up sheltered and home-schooled in a small town. Her suspicions that she is not like the other kids was realized when, upon adjusting to a big high school, wings start to grow from her body and she learns she is a fairy.

Temple Hills' Marty Bowen and Wick Godfrey will produce, while Cyrus' mother, Tish, will executive produce.

Tweens Turn Disney Channel Into a Superstar

By Dawn C. Chmielewski (LA Times)

As the Jonas Brothers took the stage at the Dallas Convention Center on Nov. 18, 2006, the group had little to sing about.

The band’s advocate within Columbia Records had left, and the label was dropping them. Few gigs loomed on the horizon. But the crowd at the Radio Disney 10th anniversary concert was oblivious to the Jonas’ travails. As the group sang “Year 3000,” a hit on the station, the audience responded with shrieking, bouncing enthusiasm.

The reaction caught the attention of Disney Channel president Rich Ross, who had been listening to the performance backstage.

“He ran up to me and said, ‘I’ve never seen anything like this in my life. I want you to know they could be so big,’ ” recalled Kevin Jonas Sr., the boys’ father and manager. “To this day, I look at that moment as the turning point for the Jonas Brothers.”

The Jonases, who now boast two platinum albums, their own Disney Channel show and a 3-D concert movie, are among the youthful stars who owe their big break to Ross, the man who could be called the father of “Tween TV.”

Since his arrival as senior vice president of programming in 1996, Ross has transformed Disney Channel from a cable television backwater that ran old films and educational fare into a reliable profit engine for the Walt Disney Co.

But more than that, he led TV’s pursuit of the 9- to 14-year-old “tween” audience, creating wildly popular personalities and shows that not only dominate the age group’s attention, but have also muscled their way into mainstream popular culture: Hilary Duff as “Lizzie McGuire,” Miley Cyrus as “Hannah Montana,” the “High School Musical” movies and now, the Jonas Brothers.

Ross targeted a void in children’s television — the yawning gap between Tigger, Pooh and the Disney princesses, and innuendo-laced prime-time shows. Before Ross’ efforts at the Disney Channel, no network courted the age group, which influences roughly $43 billion in spending annually.

“They existed. They weren’t programmed to,” Ross said. “They were either forced to slum off younger stuff or watch what their parents thought was inappropriate.”

In creating programming for those viewers, Ross helped launch the careers of many of today’s most celebrated figures in young Hollywood, including Shia LaBeouf, Zac Efron and Cyrus. He hopes two rising Disney Channel stars, Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez, will succeed Cyrus as tween phenoms.

“In the 20 years I have known Rich, he has always been recognized for his ability to spot talent,” said Kevin Huvane, managing partner at Creative Artists Agency, who represents Cyrus. “Rich knows intuitively what is relevant to the marketplace and is tremendously savvy at building programming that resonates with audiences. In doing so, he has helped launch a generation of stars.”

Disney Channel hosts what it calls a “family dinner” at the launch of every series. The stars’ parents laud Ross and Disney Channel Entertainment president Gary Marsh for cultivating an environment where they can call or e-mail with questions or concerns.

“From Day One they take a hands-on approach in bringing you into the family,” said Dianna De La Garza, the former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader whose daughter, Lovato, stars in the new Disney Channel series “Sonny With a Chance,” now its highest-rated series.

Music, specifically the revival of the break-into-song Broadway-style musical with its sleeper 2006 hit “High School Musical,” catapulted Disney Channel into the zeitgeist. An estimated 290 million viewers worldwide watched love bloom between the basketball star and the brain.

“I have to tell you that making musical theater cool for kids has been a highlight of my career,” Ross told Fordham Law School graduates in a 2008 commencement speech.

It is still unclear whether the teen stars Ross has established will go on to long-term Hollywood success. While LaBeouf (“Even Stevens,” “Holes”) has appeared in several hit movies without the Disney brand, Duff hasn’t had a breakout role post-Lizzie McGuire. She split with Disney in 2003, after talks to move “Lizzie” to high school — and the ABC network — broke down over money. Duff did not respond to e-mailed questions.

Nickelodeon has tried to steal some of Disney Channel’s thunder: The series “iCarly,” about a teen girl who hosts her own Web show, now draws in an average of 2.7 million viewers, outperforming “Hannah Montana,” according to Nielsen.

As the two networks compete for the affections of tween girls, Ross has set his sights on a new and notoriously elusive audience: tween boys. He renamed Toon Disney as Disney XD, which launched in February with the action-adventure show “Aaron Stone,” in which a video-game virtuoso leads a double life as a crime fighter.

It also added “Zeke and Luther,” in which two best friends try to become world-famous skateboarders. He thinks if Disney can fill the vessel with the right content, the boys will get on board.

“Everybody says they’re just going to play games, and certain age groups are going to go on MySpace, and oh, they have school and their homework,” said Ross of the skeptics.

“Is it going to be like Disney Channel a week later? Disney Channel is 12 years in the making,” he warns. “It took seven years before we got ‘Lizzie.’ It was nine years for ‘High School Musical.’ We’re the overnight 12-year sensation.”

Disney Eyes Another Teen Star

By Paul Bond; Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Bridgit Mendler takes lead in new sitcom

It's too early to compare her to Miley Cyrus or Vanessa Hudgens, but Disney Channel thinks it could have another star in the making and has given her the lead role in a new sitcom.

The show is called "Good Luck Charlie" and the star is 16-year-old Bridgit Mendler.

"We just fell in love with her," said Adam Bonnett, senior vp original programming at Disney Channel. "She has all the attributes of a Disney star."

Disney Channel first cast Mendler on freshman comedy "Jonas," where she appeared in two episodes playing a love interest for Nick Jonas.

That was followed by a four-episode stint on "Wizards of Waverly Place." In the upcoming arc, Mendler plays "an everyday girl with a sunny disposition who is a blood-sucking vampire," Bonnett said.

In her first starring role on "Charlie," slated to debut next year on Disney Channels worldwide, Mendler plays Teddy Holliday alongside Disney Channel regular Jason Dolley, who plays her brother Casey. When their parents go back to work full time after having a baby, the care and feeding of their new sister -- nicknamed Charlie -- falls to the teenage siblings.

A hook in the show has Teddy creating a video diary for Charlie that chronicles the day's adventures and offers her baby sister advice for when she grows older.

Bonnett describes "Charlie" as "a family show from a kid's point of view."

"It felt like the right time to have a show with two parents, to debunk the myth that Disney never has the mom in the picture," he said. "Because it is a myth."

The parents on the show are played by "Will & Grace" veteran Leigh Allyn Baker and Eric Allan Kramer. Also in the family is a 10-year-old son, played by newcomer Bradley Perry.

From It's a Laugh Prods., "Charlie" was created and is executive produced by Phil Baker and Drew Vaupen ("What I Like About You"). Also exec producing is "Cheers" veteran Dan Staley.

Power of 'Tween Queens' With Their Own Identities

By Jasmine Gardner

Source: London Standard Times

If you're approaching 30 and still trying to find your place in the world, you should probably give up now, because coming up from behind are the Tween Queens.

They have their own identities all figured out and they are gearing up to take over.

Scratch looking up to your heroes: the new adoration has a downward motion, and the new girls to worship go by the names of Malia Obama, Miley Cyrus and Lourdes Ciccone-Leon - oh, and they're aged 11-16.

These girls have a fashion sense to rival Kate Moss and confidence to rival Beth Ditto, but unlike their older counterparts - the Geldof sisters, the Hiltons and the Osbournes - they are also squeaky clean, yet untarnished by the trappings of teen fame.

"If you can have everything they have got without the negatives, then why would they want to be mess-ups?" asks Lisa Clark, agony aunt for teen magazine Mizz and author of the Lola Love tween lifestyle books.

"Tweens are developing their identities much earlier these days and there's a lot out there to help them gain confidence."

Take Miley Cyrus, the 16-year-old star of the Disney show Hannah Montana, who appeared on Jonathan Ross's show in April to promote her new film.

Not only did she handle the interview with more self-assurance than any grown-up movie star ever has, she was in complete control of the chat, routinely dominated by Ross's quips, and even suggested she should take over the show.

When Ross asked: "Do you want to know my favourite part of the movie?", without hesitation she unabashedly answered: "Me?" Ross was left saying, "Christ, you're confident", in apparent wonderment.

Perhaps it's the parenting that fuels them. While Bob Geldof appears unfazed by his children's wild behaviour, the Obamas and Madonna seem to have clear guidelines. "We are going to set some boundaries," Michelle Obama said just before the family moved into the White House.

When asked about her rules for Lourdes, 12, Madonna said: "She can't wear whatever she wants. I don't want to see her underwear hanging out of her pants", and Miley Cyrus has made it known that her father, country musician Billy Ray Cyrus, won't allow her to get a Hollywood smile or cut her hair.

"Support from parents who give encouragement definitely helps these celeb tweens," says Clark, "and when their self-assured parents tell them anything is possible, it not only rubs off on them but also on their friends.

Looking at her mother's example, Lourdes is certainly in a position to think, 'My mum is queen of the world. I can do anything I put my mind to'."

Unlike Miley, Lourdes remains markedly silent. Instead she carves out her identity through fashion. Her array of hats, scarves and lace-up boots has been exciting fashion bloggers for months.

Malia, 11, has been causing a stir with her style, too. This week her peace symbol T-shirt has got the whole world talking - about her.

And these days it's best to start young - even at three, Suri Cruise, daughter of Tom and Katie, is a fashion icon and a tween in the making.

For the tweens on the street, coiffed hair, blow-dried to great heights and swept into a side parting, plenty of black kohl around the eyes and pale lipstick is uniform.

In the day, it's ultra-skinny jeans with flats or stuffed into boots. At night, it's mini-dresses, skin-tight shiny leggings and towering heels.

It's a look in which Jade Jagger's tween daughters, Amba and Assisi, are expert and one that my own tween cousins adore.

Their Facebook pages are adorned with self-portrait photos in various outfits.

Every picture has the over-practised confident pose: head cocked on one side, hand on hip and a perfected pout.

And each photo provokes a stream of compliments. "You look amazing." "This should be censored." "Gorgeous." "You look so pretty x love you x." "Beautiful." "Just so wonderful."

And with that sort of affirmation, what tween wouldn't feel they could rule the world?

OpEd: Miley Cyrus’ Elle Shoot: Over The Top Or Get Over It?

Posted by Jeanne Sage; Source: Babble Australia

Another set of Miley Cyrus photos. Another scandal. But is the teen queen’s new photo shoot in Elle Magazine really too racy for teens?

A post over at Buzzfeed this week challenged Hannah Montana’s alter ego for “showing cleavage, wearing hooker boots (?) and posing questionably on tables.” The comments followed from folks joking that she may well turn out to BE a hooker if she continues dressing like that.

Let’s step back a minute and ignore the Vanity Fair brouhaha of 2008. She was nekkid then, and it was gross for a 15-year-old. Now she’s 16 and fully clothed… and still no one’s satisfied? Because she’s wearing high-heeled boots and has boobs?

A little perspective here. Have you gone to a concert and seen what most of the teen girls are wearing? Thigh-high boots, which may be the most uncomfortable things on the planet in my shlubby mum-garbed opinion, are everywhere. Ditto a little bit of cleavage - thanks to summery tank tops. As for lying on tables, have you seen teenage PDAs lately? Actually, I take that back… have you seen teenage PDAs ever? At 16, I was sitting on my boyfriend’s lap, cuddling up against him, kissing him, hugging him — doing anything and everything we could get away with in public.

The tagline on the front cover of Elle says Miley’s talking about dad, boyfriends and why she’s not a kid anymore. Which seems to be the big issue with child stars - no one wants to let them grow up. Among the comments on the Buzzfeed article are reminders that Disney is going to drop her if she gets too grown up.

But doesn’t she have to move past the Disney era at some point? She’s 16, and the cutesy going to school, living a double tween life thing is not going to work for her much longer. Why? Because she’s not a tween anymore. She’s a teenager, two years from adulthood. Two long years, but still, two crucial years when kids really begin to let go of childhood preferences and fashion their adult skin.

It’s a time when they try out unfortunate wardrobe choices and begin testing sexual limits, including how MUCH to show in public. Only most kids do it in their hometowns with only their parents, family and friends watching. Miley Cyrus is doing it with the world watching.

And like it or not, she’s still going to grow up.

Image: Elle via Popeater

Disney: We Created 'Tween' Market (Video Game News)

by Tim Ingham Source: MCV

US giant’s interactive boss says he’s glad ‘other publishers are finally waking up’ to space's potential

Disney boss Graham Hopper has told MCV that the firm is glad other publishers are “finally catching up” to the 'tween' market in games.

Speaking in an exclusive interview, Hopper said that Disney felt it “has been part of the creation” of the market, which is driven by young female consumers.

The firm has grown to become a dominant player in the space, with recent releases such as Hannah Montana: The Movie Game.

Hopper told MCV:

“I’d like to think that we were part of the creation of the tween gamer space. It was completely unattended by publishers before. We got into it slowly, with a little on GBA and then on DS, and over time have put a lot of energy into developing content girls like.

“It’s not easy to do, for sure: it’s about thinking about what girls enjoy, what content they want, how they might play games differently, how the gameplay evolves and the difficulty grows. You have to talk to that audience – we have done a lot of focus testing. I’m glad other publishers are finally waking up to it and realising that there is a whole generation of gamers out there that will play provided we make games for them.”

To read MCV’s full interview with Graham Hopper, click here.

GOOD SPORT AWARD: Disney Teen Queen Demi Lovato Falls On Stage During Concert

By Lisa Gutierrez

Source: Kansas City Star

After watching this video of Disney sweetie Demi Lovato taking a tumble on stage over the weekend, two things came to mind.

One: At least we know she's not lip-synching.

Two: She's an incredible good sport.

(She stumbles around one minute into the video.)

At least she has this to make her feel better: The Friday premiere of the Disney Channel's "Princess Protection Program" movie - starring Demi and Selena Gomez - attracted 8.5 million viewers.

That made it No. 1 for the year on both broadcast and cable in the all-important 6-11 and 9-14 demographics. About two-thirds of all girls watching TV at the time it aired were watching.

"Princess" now ranks as the No. 3 original movie premiere in Disney history, behind "High School Musical 2" and 2008's "Camp Rock."

Tween Girls Growing Target for Game Makers

By Gerard Campbell; Source: Stuff.co.nz

The recent E3 gaming convention wasn't just about hardcore games. It was also about appealing to casual gamers and tweens, a valuable market for video-game makers.

Teens and casual gamers - those players who don't play games regularly - are proving big money for video-game publishers, and it's something that's not lost on the major players in the industry.

Publishing giant EA showcased a line-up of games aimed at tweens at its press conference, front and foremost being Charm Girls Club, a collection of games in complete contrast to the other testosterone- fuelled titles offered by the company such as Army of Two: 40th Day, Dante's Inferno and Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Charm Girls Club will come in versions that feature American proms, pyjama parties and malls, and one of the mini-games featured is speed hair teasing, sure to appeal to the tween in your house who has a love affair with hairspray, hair straighteners and a hair brush.

Sony, too, is trying to appeal to the young girl demographic, by announcing a lilac-coloured PlayStation Portable to go with Disney Interactive's game Hannah Montana: Rock Out The Show (this announcement seemed to get a huge amount of applause, but I'm sure it was just gamers taking the micky), and Nintendo, too, is targeting the tween, with its Nintendo DS game, Style Savvy, where girls can create their own fashion boutique and garments.

It also announced WiiFit Plus, the follow-up to WiiFit, where fitness buffs can personalise their routine and customise exercises. "It's Brain Age (another Nintendo game) for your backside," said Cammie Dunnaway, Nintendo USA's executive of sales and marketing.

Music games were also big at this year's E3, with the latest versions of Rockband featuring The Beatles and Lego characters, and Activision showing off a game called DJ Hero, where you get to be the DJ spinning the discs at the party.

At Microsoft's press conference, Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr appeared on stage pimping Rockband: The Beatles, which features their virtual likenesses and 45 of their songs. You'll also be able to buy game controllers modelled on their instruments and be able to download more songs in future.

Starr seemed to say he loved the game and it looked great, while McCartney commented "who would have thought we would have ended up as androids".

ORIGINALLY POSTED HERE